Royal author Tom Bower has fired back at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the couple slammed his book as “deranged conspiracy and melodrama”, with the author claiming they have “lack of original talent”
Royal biographer Tom Bower has spoken out after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle criticised his forthcoming book as “deranged conspiracy and melodrama”. Following the release of a contentious article in Hollywood’s Variety, which delved into the inside story behind the Sussexes’ partnership with Netflix, Mr Bower criticised the couple’s “lack of original talent and suffocating self-importance”.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Mr Bower stated: “The Variety article endorses what I described in my book, Betrayal. The Sussexes are reaching the end of the road in Hollywood.
“Their behaviour, lack of original talent and suffocating self-importance has made it even more crucial for them to return to Britain in July, meet the King and be revalidated as royals.”
Mr Bower continued: “That option, I believe, will be denied to them. They face an increasingly difficult future. That’s the price of betraying the Royal Family since Megxit.”
After the initial allegations were made in Mr Bower’s new book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family, when it was serialised in The Times ahead of its launch on March 26, the Sussexes were quick to issue their response, reports the Express.
Claiming that the author has “long crossed the line from criticism into fixation”, the statement began: “This is someone who has publicly stated, ‘the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,’ language that speaks for itself.
“He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met. Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him.”
The initial allegations that have surfaced from Mr Bower’s book include the claim that Queen Camilla told a friend that Meghan had “brainwashed” Harry.
Mr Bower’s remarks follow after Variety published a series of accusations in a damning new report about the couple, including how Netflix was purportedly “blindsided” by their explosive 2020 interview with Oprah Winfrey, with “many annoyed by the lack of communication”.
The report alleged: “Sources say that the company only discovered at the last minute that the Sussexes would sit with Winfrey and share intimate, headline-grabbing details of their lives.”
A Sussex spokesperson said the claim that Netflix was unaware of the Oprah interview was “categorically false,” adding that “Netflix and Archewell had legal counsel involved to oversee the evolution of the deal, as is common practice for any deal changes in Hollywood.”
Another accusation was that Netflix was wary about Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir, which eventually got published in early January 2023. The Sussexes launched their explosive docuseries, Harry & Meghan, just a month earlier, in December 2022.
The report alleged: “Netflix approached the couple to discuss how a potential book deal would impact the release of the docuseries. Sources say Meghan downplayed the auction, telling Sarandos that any publication would be far in the future, if it happened at all.”
Meghan’s spokesperson refuted this claim as well, stating it is “categorically untrue – there was open communication with Netflix months before release to co-ordinate timing between book and series.”
The extracts delve into subjects such as Harry and Meghan’s relationship with Prince William and Princess Catherine, and their business and charitable activities since stepping back as working royals and relocating to the US in 2020, including deals with Netflix and Spotify.
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